Down in Flames
by SilverBlood666
Summary: Nigel is kidnapped another one of Sydney's 'old friends' to use as a pawn to attract Syneys attention. Another twist, another 'friend' shows up to take over the relic hunt. But will Syney and Nigel allow it? Read and find out! R&R please! WILL FINISH!
1. In Which There Is An Accident

**_Down in Flames_**

_By: Jillian_

**__**

**_Part One – In Which There is An 'Accident'.  
_**  
**_Disclaimer:_** I do NOT own anything. Although, Nigel does visit me quite often... (Heh Heh.) Jay Firestone and some other guy, I forget whom...  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
**_Author's Note:_** Okay, this is the story I was telling you all about. This one's my baby, so be nice! I told you all in my bio that I wrote this before I even knew what fan fiction was. This is my Relic Hunter Fic. It doesn't have a good title... Oh, well. Here goes!  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Boy, I'm glad that class is over," said Nigel Bailey. "How many tests do you think we finished grading?"  
  
"Probably over a hundred and fifty," Sydney Fox replied, looking at the young man next to her. "I lost count after that."  
  
"You've got to stop making your class so popular," said the handsome dirty blonde-haired, blue-eyed Brit said, oblivious to the real reason why the class was so full... with girls.  
  
Sydney gave him a sympathetic smile.  
  
The poor guy really didn't know it, but more than half the girls in the class were there strictly to goggle at him like dogs at a T-bone steak. Sure, the young women did the class work, but did they really retain any of the information that was taught?  
  
Sydney didn't think so. She was pretty sure the ladies were there in hopes of having Nigel's offspring. The girls were obviously flirting, and outrageously at that, but the Brit was completely unaware. (But, that childish arrogance/innocence was one of the things that made Nigel so irresistibly adorable.)  
  
"Oh, damn –er—darn," the dark-haired, dark-eyed Hawaiian accidentally swore.  
  
"What's wrong?" Nigel asked.  
  
"I left my keys in the office," she sighed out of annoyance. "I knew that as soon as we got to the doors to the parking lot, I'd remember."  
  
Nigel reached into his pocket and took out his key ring. He took his office key off and tossed it to Sydney.  
  
"I'll just get it in the morning, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks, Nig. You're a lifesaver!" and with that, she ran off to get her forgotten keys.  
  
Nigel just smiled and shook his head at her retreating back as he swung the door open. Blinking at the bright evening sun, he went to unlock his bike.  
  
"Bloody lock," he muttered, yanking at the chain. When it didn't come loose, Nigel said a few oaths only a fellow Brit would understand.  
  
He spun the dial on the lock and put in the combination. This time, he got it. Nigel jerked the lock and chain off, dropping them both skillfully into his open bag as he pulled his bike out of the rack at the same time. Nigel clambered onto the bike and was off.  
  
For about fifteen minutes, there was no real event in his ride (unless you count a squirrel inadvertently attacking his front tire...)  
  
There was suddenly a loud roar from behind him. Nigel turned his head to see a little blue 2000 Neon.  
  
"Go around," he mouthed at the driver, waving the car forward.  
  
But the small azure car kept a steady pace behind the Englishman. Nigel steered himself to the side of the road and motioned to the driver again. Still, the car didn't pass. When they came to the downhill slope and that's when he began to worry.  
  
In his slight state of confusion, Nigel turned his attention back to the road... in time to see a parked, red truck coming straight at him!  
  
The young blonde jerked the handlebars to the left, struggling to veer out of the way, but it was too late. He bashed into the corner of the truck bed, not too hard, but it was enough to throw his balance off.  
  
Nigel flipped over the handlebars and crashed to the ground. His momentum carried him down the incline. He tried in vain to stop himself by clawing desperately at the pavement.  
  
The Neon's engine roared again and out of the corner of his eye, he saw it blow by. What he didn't see, was when the little car fishtailed to a squealing halt at the bottom of the hill.  
  
He continued to roll, finding out that it was better to just tuck-and-roll, rather than strain them by flailing around in an attempt to stop himself.  
  
Nigel somersaulted backwards at the end of the hill and slammed his head into the door panel of the Neon.  
  
Moaning softly at the pain in his scraped-up, raw fingers (along with other various patches of scuffed up skin) and the newly acquired throbbing in his head, Nigel heaved himself to his feet, his balance thrown off by his bag.  
  
He spotted his bike lying in a heap about four yards away when he heard the door open and the sound of feet stepping out.  
  
Swearing a classic British oath, he leapt away from the driver... who was carrying a baseball bat.  
  
"Look," Nigel started, skillfully pulling a sleeve over his watch, "You're wasting your time. I have nothing worth stealing."  
  
He backed away, towards his fallen bike. The driver matched his pace, bat poised for attack.  
  
"I don't want any trouble," said Nigel, picking up the bike.  
  
"Yes, but I do," the man tossed his head, throwing a brown curl out of his pale face.  
  
The man took another step forward, his chocolate brown eyes seemed to be daring Nigel to make a move.  
  
Which he did. Nigel dropped his bike and faked like he was running to the right. But the stranger seemed to be expecting this and he swung the bat.  
  
Nigel lost his footing as he ducked. He landed on one knee, turned around and tried to scramble away, narrowly missing the blow by mere centimeters.  
  
He swung again, and this time, the man's aim was true. The thick end of the bat caught Nigel squarely in the back of the head and stars flashed before his eyes, accompanied by stomach wrenching pain.  
  
As the Brit fell to his knees, the last thing he remembered was staring up at his attacker, muttering, his voice full of hate and confusion, "Bloody Americans..."  
  
Then, everything went black...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. In Which There Is A Phone Call

Part Two –_ In Which There Is A Phone Call  
_  
**_Author's Note:_**

Sorry about the long update! ::cowers as random objects are thrown at her:: But I was a little busy and depressed about a few things. Yeah... Uh... So... Here's the disclaimer and the thanks to's. Enjoy.  
  
**_Disclaimer:_**

I own nothing but my own characters! This: means I own them! But you'll only see it once! YaY! Here goes!  
  
_Thanks To:_  
  
RiddleStar – Thanks a bunch! ::does a happy dance:: I got someone hooked! YaY! ahem Sorry, I bet everyone forgot about me. Lol. I didn't know anyone READ Relic Hunter fics.  
  
Rat – Glad you liked that. Lol. That's the best thing about the British – Their swearing. Enjoy!  
  
Capt. Cow– Nigel IS a little clueless. Lol. Gotta love him though. ::huggles Nigel::  
  
Feline-Feral – Glad you like it, too.  
  
Lady Lestat – It WAS going to have Derek Lloyd in it, but I couldn't remember the name, so I had to make up my own guy. I think you'll like him well enough. Yeah, I know. You're story is great, I hope you update soon.  
  
blurd-vision – Thanks!  
  
Emma – Sorry, but I like the cliffhangers. (Not if they're by someone else, but you know what I mean. (lol) No need to beg, however, here is your update.  
  
Kas7 – I had to end it like that. Here you go!  
  
airefree051 – Here you are! Enjoy!

Tony - Thanks! That help out.

::warrior yell:: YI! YI! YI! YI! YI! YI! YI! YI! YI! YI! ONWARD!!!

* * *

  
Sydney walked into the office, bid hello to Claudia and deposited her bag on the desk.  
  
"Claudia?" she started, seeing Nigel's empty desk, "Did he call in sick or something?"  
  
The slight blonde looked up from the magazine she was looking at and shook her head, no.  
  
"Not that I know of," she replied in her high pitched voice.  
  
"Hmm," Sydney tried not to look too overly concerned, but she was. Nigel was not one to miss a day of work, but when he did, he always called.  
  
"You don't think something happened to him, do you?" the secretary asked.  
  
"I'm not sure," Sydney replied, "It's just a feeling."  
  
"Yeah, well, most of the time, your 'feelings' are right."  
  
'I hope he's alright,' thought Sydney.  
  
  
  
The day seemed to go by agonizingly slow without Nigel there. Her students were hardly paying attention, which was expected.  
  
"Ms. Hughs," a brunette sitting near the back of the room jerked her head and gave the teacher her attention  
  
"Yes, Ms. Foxx?" she asked sweetly. (too sweetly... she was guilty of something.)  
  
"I don't suppose you could answer the question I just asked?"  
  
The girl gave her a blank look before saying the first thing that popped into her empty little head.  
  
"Uh, purple?" she tried, earning snickers from nearly everyone else in the class. The girl blushed, "What was the question?"  
  
Sydney sighed. It was most definitely easier having Nigel here. While the girls hung on his every word, the boys did the same for her. It was a nice system.  
  
"I asked, 'What was th—"but she didn't get to finish.  
  
The shrill annoying peal of the last bell rang out, releasing the 'prisoners'. There was a mad rush to to the door and everyone was suddenly gone.  
  
Letting a huge sigh escape her, she trudged to her desk and slumped into her chair.  
  
Again, her assistant crossed her mind.  
  
_'Nigel, where are you?'_ she wondered, unable to dismiss the heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

The first thing he was aware of was the painful throbbing in his head. The second thing was the suffocatingly sweltering heat.  
  
Without opening his eyes, Nigel tried to brush a sweat lock of hair out of his face, but his arms wouldn't respond.  
  
"Bloody hell," he groaned, forcing his eyes open. "Where in god's name am I?"  
  
He saw that he was indoors at least. Not like the time when he had been captured by the Amazons (New story in the making). And while that trip had been miserable, partly because his inability to talk to women, he had literally been a social outcast AND a prisoner. They had tied him to a totem pole or something for hours on end in the hot sun until he told them where Sydney was. He wouldn't, of course. So they left him baking in the sun. He had spent 2 days in the hospital recovering. He couldn't move for the pain. His skin peeled and cracked. It was awful, he still shuddered at the memory.  
  
Where was he now, anyway? The room he was in looked like the hut he stayed in during his trip to Africa.  
  
"Hello?" he called, surprised when his voice came out as weak croak.  
  
It was then that he realized he was tied to a chair. He tried to stand, but his restraints more or less pulled him back down.  
  
Panicking slightly, the young Brit struggled against the cord tightly binding his wrists behind him.  
  
"You may as well save your strength, Nigel," a voice behind him growled, "You won't be going anywhere until Sydney comes."  
  
Nigel took a deep breath before looking for the voice, but he really couldn't move his head too much, or look behind him because the chair he was tied to was a tall, straight-backed one.  
  
"It's about damn time you woke up, kid," the voice said, then, more to himself, "Now I can call Sydney."  
  
For a moment, the blonde's head raced. Not again!  
  
He took a deep breath to calm himself down, and allowed his eyes to drift closed.

* * *

"Ancient Studies, Claudia speaking," Sydney could hear the secretary's high voice answer.  
  
After a moment's pause, "Nigel! Where are you?"  
  
Sydney's heart skipped a beat as she opened the door to the office.  
  
"What do you mean, you don't know?" demanded Claudia.  
  
Sydney motioned for her to hit the speakerphone button, which she did.  
  
"Claudia, when I said I didn't know, I meant it," Nigel's voice was slightly distorted by the speaker, but the accent was unmistakable.  
  
"Nige, you okay?" Sydney asked.  
  
"Aside from a throbbing headache and being held hostage by a bloody maniac, I'm fine, "the phone must have been pulled away from him, because his voice grew fainter, "Yes, by 'maniac' I meant you! I don't see anyone else around?" He demanded, being abnormally bold.  
  
"Sydney, do you want this little pest back?" a new voice demanded, and the Hawaiian immediately recognized it.  
  
"Alex Cristo," she spat, venom dripping from her voice, "I should have known."  
  
"Nice to talk to you too," he said with sarcasm.  
  
"I swear, if you've done anything to Nigel, I'll –"  
  
"Sydney, shut up," he interrupted, "Check your email and print out the pictures I sent. The first one is a map and the second one is of your friend. See you soon!"  
  
And the line went dead.  
  
"Syd, who was that?"  
  
"That," she said, "was Alex Cristo. We used to be partners, but something went wrong on a hunt and he blamed me. It was a complete accident."  
  
Sydney went over to her computer and signed online to print the pictures out.  
  
The printer whirred as the pictures came. The first, indeed, was a map. It showed all the familiar landmarks, and the keys, along with the mile markers.  
  
The second one, however, was harder to stomach...  
  
It was Nigel, but he didn't look how Sydney thought he would. He clearly had his hands bound behind the chair he was sitting in. His hair hung, damp, in his face, covering his eyes. A thin trickle of blood had wound its way around his neck.  
  
Nigel had put up a fight, which was obvious. But had even made it home last night? She looked in the corner of the picture, noting the date and time as some cameras automatically displayed. At least it was recent.  
  
"Claudia, call in a sub for a couple of days."  
  
The secretary nodded. Having worked there for a few years, she knew the drill: call in a sub teacher, call the airport, order tickets and then wait for Syd to pack and leave.  
  
'I'm coming, Nigel,' she thought.

* * *

"Are you going to tell me where I bloody am now?" the Brit demanded, losing patience with his captor.  
  
"You talk too much."  
  
"I'm beginning to think I don't talk enough, with the way things are going!" retorted Nigel, "I at least have the right to know where I am!"  
  
The Englishman knew he was being too daring for his own good, but he couldn't help it. He knew this stranger DID have the power to take away his life, but he was downright sick and tired of being held hostage all the time. First it was the Amazons, then it was the tribe in Ghandi, and after that, it was the people with the government!  
  
How, in god's name, Sydney got him out of that situation was beyond his comprehension.  
  
See, that was the thing, every time he was kidnapped, beaten, and used for bait, it was always to get Sydney's attention. Granted it generally worked, but it wasn't fair! It was always him. He didn't want it to ever be Sydney, but just once he wished it wasn't him.  
  
"Nope, trust me, you talk to much," his captor said, thoughtfully.  
  
"May I at least know the name of my captor and the reason for me being here?" he struggled to remain calm and keep his temper in check.  
  
There was a sigh and then footsteps. The man stood in front of him, and Nigel as he craned his neck to meet the taller man's eyes.  
  
"My name is Alex Cristo and you're here to lure Sydney to me."  
  
"Well, I could have told you that," Nigel snapped, "But why do you need her?"  
  
"To help me find something," came the aggravatingly simple reply.  
  
"Well, you didn't have to drag me into it!" Nigel almost yelled in frustration. "You could have just asked her to come!"  
  
"I'm not gonna just ask her to come. I'm gonna force her to come!" the taller man shot back, taking a step closer to his prisoner, "I will not make it easy on her. Especially after whet she accused me of!"  
  
"Oh, if it's so bad, then what, in god's name, was it?" Nigel demanded, his temper flaring.  
  
Alex whipped a knife out of his boot and pressed it moderately hard against his captive's throat, silencing him instantly.  
  
"If I were you, I'd shut up and keep myself from being killed," the man growled. "And keep it that way."  
  
Nigel opened his mouth for a smart comeback, thought better of it, and said nothing.  
  
Alex just smirked.

* * *

On the plane, Sydney was pouring over the satellite photos and the map when someone touched her shoulder gently.  
  
She looked up to see a young man with medium length black hair with bright blue highlights and yellow-tinted, slit pupil contacts. He wore a black tee shirt with a camouflage over it, black jeans and combat boots. Around his neck, he wore a spiked collar and a silver chain with a dragon charm on it that matched his earring.  
  
"Can I help you?" asked Sydney.  
  
The man shifted his weight on his other foot, seeming somewhat embarrassed.  
  
"Yeah, um, for some odd reason, I was kicked out of my seat. Since you have a spare one next to you, I was wondering if I could sit by you," he explained timidly," I'm Lynnwood Mason, by the way."  
  
"Sydney Foxx," the Hawaiian replied, shaking the man's hand and noticing the spiked bracelets, "And of course you can sit here."  
  
Lynnwood sat down, but Sydney looked away, narrowly missing the funny glint in his yellow eyes.

* * *

**_Author's Note:_**

Wow, that was one helluva chapter... I mean, ten pages?? Wow. This took me nearly all day to type! Wow! My parent bugged me all day to get off the computer, too. So, ya'll better enjoy it, too! (lol. Just kidding.) Remember, read and review!!  
See you next time!

JILLIAN 


	3. In Which There Nigel is Found

_

* * *

Part Three - In Which There Nigel is Found..._

**_Disclaimer:_**

Okay, if I owned Relic Hunter, don't you think Nigel and Sydney would have gotten together by now?? Yeah, that's what I thought.

**_Author's Note:_**

Sorry for not updating for a while, my writing phase is dying down. Yeah, so, on with the story. Thanks everyone for reviewing! Also, because I am a horrid typist with the attention span of a gnat, it took forever to type these 10 pages, lol.

* * *

Sometime later, Nigel was still fuming at his stupidity of being captured... Again. He kept talking to himself and muttering strings of very foul curses and oaths.

"Will you shut up already?" Alex half yelled, "I've never met anyone so annoying!"

Nigel tossed his head again, trying to shake his damp hair out of his face. The heat and humidity was suffocating.

"At least untie my bloody hands, will you?" the young Brit demanded, "It's not like I can go anywhere! I don't even know where I bloody am!"

Alex chuckled meanly at his prisoner's argument, but didn't bother getting up. He just went back to his book.

Nigel let out an exasperated sound before continuing to struggle against his bonds.

After a few minutes, his concentration was shattered once again.

"How many times must I tell you to be still?" he demanded.

"How many times must I tell you to release me, you stupid git?" the young man boldly shot back.

Nigel knew he was in trouble when the 'stupid git' calmly folded the page in his book and slowly stood up.

"How many times have I warned you to shut up and be a good little captive?" Alex growled menacingly, "But did you listen? No. You just kept talking and talking and talking! I believe you know as well as I that your chatter was useless. But that _still _didn't stop you."

The abductor reached behind his back and pulled a knife from his belt. He knelt in front of his prisoner's knees and pressed the knife to Nigel's cheek. Hard.

"I could really, _truly_ care less about what happens to you," he put more pressure on the knife, "but fortunately, for your sake, I have to put up with you until Sydney arrives, otherwise, this blade would have been embedded in your jugular vein long ago."

"Charming," was all the young Brit said with an arrogant smirk.

Now that he knew he was getting on Alex's nerves, he decided to push his already thinning luck.

A growl escaped Alex and he slid his blade away, leaving a medium sized, shallow cut behind that trickled blood.

"Bloody Americans," the young man muttered at the retreating back.

The older man stiffened for a fraction of a second, then he walked to a nearby cabinet, and got a brown bottle and cloth out. Alex poured some of the contents onto the cloth and then walked back to Nigel's chair.

"What is that?" demanded the Englishman, turning away from the foul smelling object.

Alex didn't answer as he pressed the cloth against Nigel's nose and mouth. The liquid seeped into the cut on his cheek and stung like hell.

Nigel struggled for a moment, his lungs aching for air. He jerked to the side, away from the cloth, only to have his head slammed against the thick wooden chair.

The heel of his captor's hand smashed into his face. Nigel drew in a breath instinctively, inhaling the medicinal smelling liquid and coughing violently.

The last thing he remembered was the warm blood gushing from his nose. Then, everything went dark...

* * *

Sydney looked at her watch again.

'Why won't this damned flight land already?' she thought anxiously, squirming impatiently in her seat.

"What's wrong?" asked a voice.

Sydney turned and gave Lynnwood a forced smile.

"I don't like planes," she lied.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the aircraft finally began to descend. Every moment that passed, she grew more and more angry and nervous.

'_About damn time!_' Sydney thought, grabbing her one bag from her overhead storage compartment as the plane bumped to a halt.

"Excuse me ma'am, but the plane is being unloaded by class. You may as well sit back down," someone behind her said.

That seemed to do it. Her temper was already flaring and whomever spoke wasn't helping.

"Look, I don't know who you are, and I don't care, but I need to get off this plane, _NOW_!" she snapped at whomever spoke, putting the person into shock.

Lynnwood gaped at her in astonishment, wondering about the change as she rushed off.

"We'll meet again, Sydney Fox," he muttered, when he came to himself.

She managed to be one of the first ones off the plane, grabbed her bag, made it past security, and left the airport in record time. Sydney called a taxi and instead of just sitting down to wait, she paced in front of the very 'Americanized' place.

She nearly jumped a foot in the air when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"_Sydney, I'm glad you made it here safely!" _Alex's cheerful voice didn't fool her for a second.

"I swear, if you've hurt Nigel, I will kill you and make it look like an accident," she replied menacingly, receiving a frightened look from an elderly couple walking by.

"_Aren't we in a good mood?" _Alex dropped the fake happy mood. _"You'll find your friend in the Pendaran hotel. If the desk attendant stops you, just say that you're there to see 'Dennis Jackman', understand?"_

"Yes."

"_Good. See you soon, Sydney!" _with that, he hung up.

Sydney cursed under her breath as she switched off her phone.

The taxi came soon after, and she got in. Giving the driver instructions to the hotel, they set off.

They sped past old buildings with broken windows. The whole place seemed to be a ghetto. Potholes littered the streets, broken beer bottles and trash covered the sidewalks. Every once in a while, a hooker or transvestite would appear on the corner, flaunting their stuff for those who cared to see.

"What is this place?" Sydney wondered out loud.

She was a tad bit surprised when she received an answer.

"The city, _Mentirosas,_" replied the driver in a thick Spanish accent.

"Mentirosas?"

"_Si_, it is espanol for 'liar'. The whole place is full of them. You _es muy loco _to come here, _senorita_. Many, how-you-say... criminals. It is a _muy bueno_ place for hiding if you have a troubled past."

"It seems very much like America," Sydney observed, as they passed a particularly manly looking woman.

"_Si, americanos _come here by the airport-fulls, it seems," he said. "_Estados Unidos es malo _place, _si?_"

Sydney knew enough Spanish to know that the man thought the united states was a bad place, in his own opinion.

"No, not everyone there is bad," she stated, "Every place has their fair share of bad, but there's a lot of good as well."

"Then the _Estados Unidos_ must be pretty _bien_ now, _senorita_," the driver grinned, "_Porque _(because) all of the criminals come from there. They all _vive en la Ciudad de Mentirosas." _(City of Liars)

The man chuckled at his own joke, while Sydney forced a smile and looked out the window, wishing they would reach the hotel soon.

Buildings flew by. Sydney seemed to lose track of time, when she found herself standing in front of a decently maintained structure. She thanked and paid the driver, and he was gone.

Sydney picked up her two bags and rushed inside.

'_5b. He said 5B,'_ she thought, forcing herself to look calm as she made her way to the front desk.

"Hello," she said politely, "I'm looking for Dennis Jackman. I already know what room he's in, so can I just go up?"

The pimply-faced teenaged desk clerk didn't even look up from painting his nails, but he grunted and nodded his head.

"Thank you."

Sydney walked to the stairs. As soon as she was out of the kid's sight, she sprinted up the flights and down the hall until she found the room marked 5B.

The door was locked.

"Nigel?" she called, "Are you in there?"

The answer was a muffled groan.

Panic overtook her, but she kept herself from losing it completely.

"Nigel!" she called again.

And again, there was a moan.

Sydney booted her bags out of the way and ran across the hall. When she was sure she had enough room, she sprinted forward and kicked the door down.

A hoarse croak of a yell for help escaped her when Sydney saw what she had dreaded most...

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...

NEXT CHAPTER – In Which There Is A Fight...


	4. Screw it, I always lose track of chapter...

**_DISCLAIMER:_** If I owned Relic Hunter I wouldn't be writing a fan fic, would I? … Yeah, that's what I thought.

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_** I'm very sorry to have kept you all waiting for this. I had started rewriting this and got bored. Now I made a rule for myself to not work on anything else until I'm done with this. (Not working, but hey…) Anyway, I bet you want to get to the story. ENJOY!!

Thanks to:

ManiacJackal – Here's the chapter. Sorry to keep you waiting!

alma - thanks for the comment.

Kas – I wouldn't call them amazing…

Maria – I'm glad you liked it.

airefree051 – Yeah, I left you hanging for a looooong time, ,didn't I?

Rat – Maybe he will in this one too…

cl-roxy – Thanks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nigel!" Sydney dashed over to the other side of the room to his limp form.

Blood soaked his shirt collar, covered his mouth and jaw. He was leaned over as far as his bounds wrists would allow his to go.

She shook him slightly and his head lolled onto his other shoulder, revealing a medium-sized, still healing cut on his cheek. Nigel was falling in and out of consciousness as he fought to stay awake.

"Syd?" the Brit forced his eyes open to look at his friend.

"Yeah, it's me."

Sydney went around behind him, pulled the dagger from her boot and cut the ropes. She nearly gagged at the sight of his wrists. The bindings had scraped the skin away, leaving bloody welts behind. Most of the skin on his hands was scraped raw thanks to his fall from his bike.

"Syd," started Nigel, "He's here."

The silhouette at the door made her blood boil with rage. She let go of Nigel's shoulder when she was sure he could hold himself up for the time being. She stood to face the man.

"Alex, this is low even for your standards. You kidnapped a friend to get what you wanted. Whatever happened to your nice blackmailing schemes? They were so much more preferable."

"Doesn't really matter how I do it. I still got what I wanted," he replied smugly.

A low growl escaped from her and she snapped. His smugness was always present even as he slept, the bastard.

Sydney launched herself at him in a high flying kick aimed for his chest, but he stepped to the side. Just out of harm's way.

"You're going to listen to me."

There was a sound of a short struggle behind her. She turned around to see Alex using Nigel as a bargaining chip. Again. His hand was tangled in his hair, holding his head back, exposing his throat, which had a knife pressed firmly against it.

His face, already looking pale against his own blood, went whiter. A thin sheen of sweat broke out on his skin.

Sydney looked into Nigel's eyes and was surprised beyond all reason to see the apologetic expression he wore.

The blonde pushed against his captor with all his strength, only to be pulled back and have his head slammed harshly against the back of the thick wood that made up the back of the chair. He made a face at the pain, as it was where Alex had caught him with the baseball bat, but said nothing.

"You're going to listen to me," Alex repeated, "Or your little friend dies."

He said it so calmly, like he was discussing the weather on a warm spring day, it made her flesh crawl.

Taking her silence as a yes, he continued:

"A very long time ago, my great grandfather found a map. But it was in a language no one understood. He managed to decipher enough of it to know that the sword was somewhere in this country. Then, quite unexpectedly, he passed away, leaving no notes or records of showing how he translated it. He left us to start from scratch. Luckily for me you don't know the meaning of 'low profile'. If I hadn't seen your picture in last week's newspaper, I would still be wandering the jungle aimlessly without a clue as to where I was going."

"So, if your great grandfather _found_ this map, then it wouldn't _really_ be yours, would it?" Sydney questioned.

Alex waved the knife a bit with an air of carelessness.

"A mere technicality," was all he said.

"Hmm. Nice story, but do you think you could let Nigel go now?"

"You don't understand, do you?" Alex shook his head, ignoring the woman's request. "Do you know how much damage this thing could cause? It's named the Inferno Blade. It's named as it because whoever possesses it can control any flame. The wielder of the Inferno Blade will harness that power and bend it to perform any task it can."

"So, you'll take this sword out of a safe place _just in case_ someone else finds it?" Sydney demanded. "I suggest you let Nigel go before things get really bad."

"Yeah, like you're in a position to bargain," he replied, his voice dripped with sarcasm. "I'll let him go if you help me. How's that sound?"

Without really pausing to let Sydney think of an answer, Alex pressed the knife harder against his hostage's throat. Nigel closed his eyes, hoping that the whole thing was a bad dream.

"All right! Fine! Let him go and I'll help!" Sydney sighed, with more than a hint of anger in her voice.

"I knew you'd see things my way," the older man smirked as he forced Nigel to his feet.

"Kind of hard not to when you're threatening someone else's life," the Brit muttered, swaying dangerously.

Alex chuckled and shoved the teacher's aid forward. Nigel, caught off balance and off guard, managed to stagger about two steps before he tripped and fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Sydney was at his side in an instant.

"Nige, you okay?"

He nodded, muttering what sounded like, "I've been better, thanks," as he shoved himself to his feet. When he was able to stand on his own, Sydney let go of his shoulder.

"Let me see this map of yours," she demanded.

Alex walked over to the cabinet that held the cause of Nigel's reeling mind and pulled out a blue folder.

He went back and handed it to the woman, watching while Nigel ran a sleeve over the lower half of his face to wipe away the blood.

This was definitely going to be one of the more memorable relic hunts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_** Whoo! Eleven pages, 1,092 words, fifty-two paragraphs, and one-hundred and forty-two lines!! WOW!!

Anyway, Sorry about the LOOOOONG delay. Feel free to review (hint hint!!) I want to hear what **_EVERYONE_** has to say!!

Until next time, fellow freaks and morons!  
JILLIAN


	5. In Which They Take A Drive

Part Five – _In Which They Take a Drive…_

**_ATHOR'S NOTE:_**

Hey everyone. I know, it's been a while. (Okay, no, I just updated Arachnophobia) I'm just going through this phase where I want to finish all the stories that I have started cuz they are driving me **_INSANE!!!!_** Anyway, thanks everyone for reviewing!!

Kas7 – Thanks. :-D

Aryea – Thanks.

Adele – Glad you like it.

ManIACjAcKaL - ::cackling with glee:: waits a few more minutes before starting to write:: … … … … (Okay, that's enough of _that_.) Thanks though, I'm glad you like it.

This chapter is dedicated to **_ManIACjAcKaL_** for having the longest review! ::gives you a bowl of ramen:: Again though, sorry about the long update!

**_DISCLAIMER:_** I don't own anything. If I did, don't you think you'd see this story as an actual show instead of a fan fic? Not to mention some of the other Relic Hunter stories. (FAVORED FRIENDS!!!) read it!!! GREAT STORY!!! (Kind of long though)

**_WARNING:_** I know everyone already knows this, but I'm a sucker for pain. (I might post this on all the rest of my stories too. Lol)

* * *

Nigel had cleaned himself up and bandaged the cut on his cheek. There was still a lump on the back of his skull, but he still looked rough. 

The trio bought supplies and were on their way.

"From what I can tell by the map, we should be going east, towards the jungle," Nigel read.

Alex jerked the wheel of the car and the whole machine lurched right from the action.

They were well on their way towards their destination, wherever _that_ was. Nigel translated what he could from the map as he recognized some of the language.

The street sped by, the city seemed to fade away into the wilderness. It was a relatively quiet ride. Nigel kept muttering to himself, trying to keep oral notes, or calling himself names for his redundant capture, as he poured over the sheet of paper.

"Nigel, are you done yet?" Alex demanded.

"Almost. There's a few places I can't quite figure out," he replied, shaking his head.

His vision swam briefly, and he blinked a few times in an attempt to clear it. All his action achieved was blurred outlines on the map. He shook his head.

Sydney caught the movement and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, just give me a moment to clear my head," he replied, blinking a few more times.

The humid air was making everyone hot, sweaty and miserable. In the car, the air was hot and heavy enough to make perspiration run down the back of Alex's neck, staining the blue material of his shirt to a darker blue. Sydney's long, black hair was starting to frizz slightly and the bandage on Nigel's cheek was beginning to lose its stickiness and curl away from his skin.

"Has a mouth, but doesn't eat," he murmured softly, thinking aloud.

"What's that mean?" Alex asked, looking over Nigel's arm.

"Bloody hell…" the Brit sighed, pushing the plastic strip back onto his face, "Are you _really_ that daft?"

Alex growled, suddenly lunging at Nigel, hitting him square in the jaw. The whole car jerked with the action.

"Hey!" Sydney yelled; what else could she do in the moving vehicle?

Nigel's head cracked into the window with a thunk.

"Let me tell you something, Nigy-boy! _I'm_ in charge here, understand? And I'll be damned if I'm called names by some _kid_ with a body like a couple of toothpicks!"

"_FINE_!!" he yelled back, rubbing his chin and glaring at him.

"So, what did the riddle mean?" Alex said, feigning politeness.

"River," Nigel replied promptly, trying not to roll his eyes.

"Okay, then the closest river here is Hell's Waters," Alex thought aloud.

"Do I even want to know why it's called Hell's Waters?" sighed Sydney.

"Probably not," grinned the kidnapper.

She just rolled her eyes at him.

They continued onwards, not really paying too much attention to the fact that they were headed to the Sograny Jungle.

Nigel just kept deciphering more and more of the map, getting stuck from time to time.

"Okay guys! We're here!" Alex said in a false cheery voice.

"Great," from Sydney.

"Charming," came from Nigel.

The car stopped and everyone got out, stretching his or her limbs from the long trip. Looking around, Sydney and Nigel saw that they had stopped in the middle of the dirt road.

"Okay, so we need to get to Hell's Waters?" asked Alex, opening the trunk of the car and pulling out the bags.

"Yes, we follow the river until we get to a boulder in the shape of a falcon or an eagle," Nigel caught his blue backpack, leaning into the horrible throw and nearly falling over from the weight.

And with that, the journey started…

The trees, vines, and plants seemed to reach out for the travelers, trying to capture them and send them to their doom.

"I've never been somewhere so bloody humid before," the Brit complained, wiping away the sweat from his upper lip. The Band-Aid had finally lost its battle with the humidity and fallen away, revealing the ugly cut.

"Well, that's the jungle for you!" said Alex.

"Why didn't we just drive?" Sydney ducked a low hanging branch.

"Because we couldn't get any further by car. This place has no roads at all. I believe there's a story behind the fact that this place is completely uninhabited," the older man explained with a wink, "Want to hear it?"

"No."

Sydney smiled to herself.

Every so often, in the next hour or so, all of them heard a faint rumbling in the distance, like the wind through the trees, growing used to it until they didn't notice it.

The sound had grown gradually by small degrees at a time

She didn't know about Nigel, but every couple of minutes, Sydney would notice it like she was hearing it for the first time.

Ahead of them, Alex continued to hack and slash a crude path with the machete he had pulled out of his own bag.

He let out a satisfied chuckle.

"Hey_ guys!_ We're _heeere!_" he said in a sing song voice.

Sydney was about to say something dripping in sarcasm when he stepped away from the opening he had made.

White, to put it bluntly. That was all she could see until Sydney looked closer. The water churned and foamed in the rapids. It crashed over rocks and swept away trees that were unlucky enough to get caught in the thirty-foot wide river's path.

"Whoa," Nigel echoed Sydney's thoughts when he was able to get a clear view of Hell's Waters.

She nodded.

"So, where do we go now?" Alex yelled over it to be heard over the pounding waters.

Startled out of his awe, Nigel gave the older man a look before checking the map again, slipping on his glasses once more.

"Follow the sunset until the birds of prey are spotted," Nigel shouted back.

"West then?"

The Brit nodded before taking his glasses off to wipe away the accumulating mist.

"Damn, that means we'll have to cross it!" Alex told them.

"So what's wrong with that?" asked Sydney.

Alex shrugged, placing his palms up to the sky.

"No boat!"

Ah, that could be a problem. The current was probably more that a little too strong to swim in it. She hoped he wasn't going to suggest what she was thinking.

"We'll just have to swim it!"

If Sydney could have sweat-dropped and fallen like the characters in the animes she sometimes watched, then she would have.

"You're joking!" Nigel yelled, "You can't expect us to be able to cross _THAT_!!"

Alex nodded, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"As long as you get before you hit the rocks or go over the falls, you'll be fine!" he grinned.

"Great… we're stuck with a psycho," Nigel muttered.

TBC…

* * *

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_** Hey, thanks for reading! **_Review!! Review, damn it!!!_**

**_NEXT CHAPTER:_** _In Which They Take a Swim…_


	6. In Which They Take a Swim

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_** I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! Yipe:hides as readers throw various objects at her: Okay! Okay! I'm sorry I haven't written in such a long time, but that's no reason to kill me:moves head barely out of the way of a flying kitchen sink: RELAX! DAMN IT, RELAX! I'm writing, okay?

Anyway, I have an excuse ready in case of something like this: (valid, too) See, my dad just got a new computer and I can't get on it because I might kill that one like I killed the old one. (Actually, I went on a site that some poet wannabe sent me and the damn computer just shitted out on me…) In short, I AM VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY SORRY! It might happen again. I'm writing this on the school computer, so there. See how much I love you guys!

**_DISCLAIMER:_** If I owned Relic Hunter, don't you think that it would still be on the air WITH new episodes?

_**THANKS TO:**_

Adele – Of _course_ Nigel's going to get hurt! (Or _is_ he…?) lol, thanks though.

Alma – Gotta love Spanish. I actually liked that part. Lol. Thanks.

KMSOrligirl – I don't know about the faint from heat thing. Good idea though. Thanks for reading!

* * *

"Oh, this is going to be just _great_," Nigel said, "Remind me to write all of this down one day?"

Sydney chuckled softly as she removed her shoes and put them in her bag. Nigel and Alex did the same, getting ready to cross the icy river.

They stepped in, and someone gasped at the low temperature. No one was sure who it was.

Each step brought the trio into deeper water. Within six steps the water was up to their shoulders.

"Should have bought a raft or something!" Alex yelled, grinning at the overall excitement.

Sydney could have said something, but decided to keep her mouth shut so she could concentrate on crossing safely.

Next to her, Sydney could hear her assistant swearing softly, trying to keep upright on the slippery river rocks.

Then he disappeared.

Nigel's head went under the water and didn't come back up.

"Nigel?" called Sydney.

She felt around in the water where he had been standing.

Nothing.

She swore, calling for Alex to stop.

Sydney _knew_ Nigel wasn't a very strong swimmer.

"Nigel!" she called again.

A blonde head bobbed to the surface and she yelled again, diving after it. The current caught them both, sending them flying.

Everything went silent when Sydney was swept underwater. She opened her eyes, not really expecting to see anything. The brown-green water nearly froze them open.

Sydney floundered her way to the surface, gasping for air. Her lungs were still burning from the lack of oxygen, but she still called for Nigel again anyway.

"Over here!" a faint cry from her right.

The woman turned to see her friend clinging to a partially submerged rock with one hand. A rivulet of blood ran into his mouth, the red turning to pink every time the water splashed over his face.

"Nigel, stay right there!" Sydney choked out, spitting a mouthful of river water.

He rolled his azure eyes sarcastically, "Like I really have a choice?"

They both heard Alex's yell of warning.

"Sydney, look out!"

Instinctively, she turned around to see a huge tree, lucky enough to be dislodged from the earth at the time, heading straight towards her! The current sped it up, but she ducked in time to avoid it.

Sydney came back up swearing.

Nigel clung to the rock for dear life. His head throbbed with its new pain. There must have been a bleeding gash, because his vision was tainted red in one eye and he had a metallic taste in his mouth.

Alex yelled to Sydney, seeing the huge log floating at her. She ducked, avoiding it and it was on it's way to him.

"Oh, bloody hell…" he muttered.

Nigel brought his other arm up to hold onto the rock. His wrist screamed in protest, but he ignored it and kept his grip anyway and braced himself for impact…

**_

* * *

_**

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_** Okay, CLIFFY:runs and hides again so readers can't throw things:

**_Nigel_**: Why am I always getting hurt in these dumb fan fics?

**_Sydney_**: I don't know. Ask her. :points out authoress's hiding place:

**_Me_**: ahem :steps out of hiding, glaring at Sydney: It's because you're so cute and hot and innocent.

**_Nigel_**: . Huh? Why did that NOT make sense?

**_Me_**: Everyone (coughgirlscough) like to take care of you. Or—

**_Nigel_**: Really?

**_Me_**: Or they like seeing you in pain…

**_Nigel (pouts)_**: (OMFG HOTT) Not nice…

**_Me_**: Don't worry, it gets a lot worse.

**_Nigel_**: HOW?

**_Me_**: Okay everyone! That's it for now. Sorry it was so short:ignoring Nigel's protests: Hope you review, although I don't really deserve it for being so bad on updating.

:walks off with Nigel following, demanding to know why people are obsessed with hurting him:

This was lame, but oh well.

REVIEW!


	7. In Which They Manage to Survive the Swim

_Down In Flames_

_Part Seven – In which they manage to survive the swim…_

**_Author's Note:_** Hey everyone. Sorry about the short chapter last time. I think this one might be the same, because I haven't looked at how long this one is. By the way, I'm going to be updating a lot more regularly now cuz I HAVE MY OWN COMPUTER. In MY room! (YAY!)

**_Disclaimer:_** As usual, I don't own anything.

* * *

The huge tree careened out of control, coming faster and faster, getting closer and closer.

Nigel braced himself for impact, and it came. The broad side of it cracked right against Nigel's anchor, jarring him loose. He let out a yell as he went under the water again.

"Nigel!" he heard Sydney yell before the water closed over his head. After that, everything went silent.

A crushing pain erupted from his already injured wrist. He let out a stream of bubbles that was a scream. Nigel opened his eyes and tried to kick his way to the surface, but something held him down.

He looked to see his hand pinned under the rock he had been holding onto. A thin cloud of red was slowly growing around it.

His lungs burned for air His vision was slowly growing fuzzy. The Brit pushed frantically against the rock, wanting to scream in frustration.

'_I'm going to die down here,'_ his eyes widened slightly at this realization, refueling his efforts to reach the surface.

Nigel's lungs were about to burst. His heart pounded rapidly in his ears.

Something swam in front of his eyes with long, flowing dark hair. It took him a moment to recognize the figure.

'_Sydney,'_ he thought.

If he was going to die, then at least he got to see her face one last time.

Her face floated closer to his until their lips met. She gently blew her breath ingot his lungs, made a motion that she was going back up, and was gone.

Nigel, feeling stronger, pushed again at the boulder. This time, it budged slightly, but not enough to free himself.

Sydney suddenly reappeared, this time with Alex. She made another motion: three fingers and then a pushing gesture to the right.

He understood. On three, they would push the rock together.

One finger went up and Nigel braced himself. The second finger went up, then the third. Immediately they all pushed as hard as they could against it.

The weight moved slowly, scraping painfully against Nigel's hand. He cringed, but continued with his efforts.

The rock kept moving, the flesh was gradually rubbed away. The stone grinding against stone turned into a single muffled thump as it hit the river bottom, leaving Nigel free.

Sydney and Alex each took one arm and dragged him to the surface, where his ears were flooded with sound. They all gulped at the air like they had been starving for months.

"Hey, Syd?" Nigel gasped out, "do I get therapy in my benefits?"

The dark-skinned woman grinned while Alex laughed.

They struggled slightly under the weight of Nigel's backpack, which he'd managed to hold onto the whole time.

While Sydney was alone with Nigel underwater, Alex had taken their own bags to shore for safekeeping.

They made it to the other side of the river, where they all collapsed when they got onto firmer ground.

"Let's _not_ do that again, shall we?" Nigel asked, sitting up and looking at his injured arm.

It felt worse than it actually looked. Sure, it was still bleeding, and the top of his hand looked like it had gone through a meat grinder, but that wouldn't slow him down too much. (he hoped)

It was his wrist that worried him. It wasn't broken, that much he was sure of. It was slightly swollen and sore, but he felt that wrapping it would help greatly.

"Nige, you okay?" Sydney took his hand gently to see the damage.

"I'm fine," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He winced when he came across a gash in his temple. His hand came away red and he groaned.

"Is this as far as we're going to get today? Should I put up a shelter right here?"" Alex asked.

Both Sydney and Nigel gave him looks, shutting him up quickly. She bandaged his wrist up and they were off.

After a while of walking, Alex pulled a light blue bandana out of his bag and wrapped it around his head. Nigel rolled his eyes and just flexed his wrist. Despite the two extra strength aspirin he had taken, his head srill throbbed horribly.

He sighed, knowing Alex wouldn't stop for something so "trivial" as he called it.

So, they just walked, following the river east, to the eagle-shaped rock.

About an hour later, the travelers came to their destination.

Nigel twisted around to pull the map out of his bag.

Unfolding it, he read, "For a bird's eye view, soar on the back of the Lord of the Sky, seek the path where two trees stand high."

"And that means…?" said Alex.

Sydney sighed and said nothing as she hoisted herself onto the giant bird.

"It means," she grunted, "that we have to get on top of it and look for two trees that are parallel and straighter than the rest."

"Sydney, there are thousands of trees like that," Alex called up. To prove his point, he gestured to the whole forest.

She paid no attention to him, but smiled when she heard Nigel setting him straight.

"Look, you wanted our help, so shut up and take it. We know what we're doing, so your skepticism isn't needed."

She looked around, scanning the area for the trees. Finally, she spotted them.

"Found them!" she called to the arguing men below her.

All their talk died down and they looked up. Then Alex looked at Nigel.

"Well?" he asked, "Now what?"

**_

* * *

_**

**_Author's Note:_** I'm not entirely sure that I should go on with this story, as I haven't been getting many reviews… Get your friends to do it or something. Pass on my profile to anyone you can!

Until next time…

Jillian


	8. In Which They Find Death

_**Down in Flames – Part Eight – In Which they Find Danger and Death…**_

**_Author's Notes:_** Thank you to: Hyperactive Forever, rozzy07, Zelenis, crystalpheonix, Lady Lestat, adele, cl-roxy, little dragon 25, Space-Case7029. You guys are great!

**_Disclaimer:_** Same as every other freaking chapter!

* * *

"We go east," Nigel replied, saving himself the trouble of reading the riddle. 

"Then east we shall go!" Alex exclaimed, starting north.

Nigel waited for Sydney to climb down before just standing there while Alex walked.

"Uh, Alex?"

"Yeah?" he asked, stopping to turn and look at her.

"_That_ way," Sydney pointed to the left.

"I knew that," he replied sheepishly, starting east this time.

So they started walking again, this time in the right direction.

The silence the three endured was broken only by the occasional muttering of the English man muttering to himself as he translated more of the map. He just couldn't fine tune the damn thing.

The leaves and twigs underfoot snapped and crackled so loudly, that Sydney almost missed the soft click that came from her right. She knew instinctively what the noise was.

"Guys?" She held up a hand for them to stop.

"What are we --?"

"Shh!" Sydney interrupted Alex. "When I say 'drop!' everyone drop to the to the ground quickly, understand?"

Alex opened his mouth to question her again when Nigel elbowed him sharply in the chest.

"Don't question her. She knows what she's doing."

Alex caught a glint of something more that adoration in Nigel's eyes but said nothing.

Before he even had a chance to say something about it, they all heard a soft 'click!' and recognized exactly what it was.

"Everyone, _drop_!" Sydney yelled.

But they were all down before she finished her sentence anyway. A hail of gunfire, sounding like three machine guns, exploded into action.

A bullet whizzed through Sydney's hair, while another grazed Alex above the elbow. One shot through Nigel's shirt, missing him by centimeters and exploding into the tree bark right next to his head.

Their arms covered their heads and they lay completely still, faces buried in dead leaves and moss. They could only wait for the gunfire to stop. Bullets rained down, missing them by mere inches. Everywhere they stood before seemed to erupt. The bark on the trees exploded, leaves flew into the air.

After what seemed like forever, all the noise finally stopped, leaving everyone's ears ringing with the deafening silence.

Alex, Nigel, and Sydney stood up after she deemed it safe. They brushed the dirt and dead foliage away from their clothing and hair.

"Anyone hit?" she demanded, looking around for any sign of blood.

A trickle of red escaped from the crook of Alex's elbow, but not enough to be considered serious. The guys both shook their heads before Nigel repeated the question to her. She also shook her head.

After they were sure everyone was okay (not to mention the murder of Nigel's shirt), they continued to walk with their senses heightened. All of them sensed death.

And sure enough, not even ten minutes later, Alex took another step and gagged violently.

"_What_, Alex?" Sydney snapped at him.

He didn't answer, looking down on what he had stepped on, fighting the urge to gag again.

A decapitated human skull.

"Okay… _Ew_," Nigel said to himself, turning away.

The sight that greeted him wasn't much better than the rotting skull.

"Okaaaaay… **_EW_**!" he exclaimed, jumping back and landing on the skull with a sick crunch. He gagged, and spun off of it, straight into Sydney's shoulder.

Nigel stood still and tried to breathe deeply through his mouth to avoid the stench of decomposed flesh.

In all Sydney and Nigel's time together relic hunting, they had never come across a sight like the one they beheld…

Dead, decayed bodies, still trickling body fat through their clothing, suddenly hung from nearly every tree. The rotted purple and green skin hung from dried muscle and bone, almost dripping off. The closest bodies were pinned to trees by thick staffs of wood.

Others were pinned to the ground by grids of the sharpened sticks while still others hung from tree branches by some hidden trap.

But even _that_ wasn't what got to them. It was the looks on the bodies' faces.

The decayed faces – the ones you could tell that had faces anymore – were all frozen in horrific screams of pain. The ones that had no flesh or muscles… those skulls were grinning eternally at the prospect of their deaths.

Nigel stepped back, straight into an almost skeleton. He leapt away from the gooey body.

"Oh… my… god…" Nigel's face was white, tinted with a faint green. His breathing was coming in short shallow gasps, like someone about to be sick.

Apparently Sydney caught on.

"Nigel, calm down," she tried to sooth his nerves but it wasn't working.

Alex stood there, snickering as Nigel became sick.

"Poor Nigel, can't take the stench of death," he mocked, still laughing.

When the contents of his stomach lay on the ground, Nigel stood up, wiped the sweat off of his upper lip and faced Alex dead in the eye.

"As a matter of fact, I _can_ handle it. Touching a sticky dead body is what gets me," he said coldly, "So until you know a damn thing about me, _Alex_, you can keep your bloody mouth _shut_!"

"Wow, Nigel actually has balls!" Alex replied lightly, grinning.

The Englishman flipped him a rude hand gesture before walking through the worn path between the body laden trees.

"Be careful, Nigel, some of these traps could still be active," she warned.

Before the end of her sentence, however, they all heard a snap and instinctively threw themselves to the ground again.

A hail of ancient arrows passed over them quickly. Sydney and Alex heard a gasp and a thud. And when they looked up, they saw Nigel was laying on the ground, unmoving, with one of the arrows protruding from his body…

* * *

TBC… 


End file.
